Wheel restoration advice???

[Nufsixes]

Just after some advice on the best way to clean-up some rather neglected Series 1 SX Seca factory alloy wheels? Is it possible to do it without ruining the clear coat, or is it best to go the whole hog and remove everything with fine sandpaper, then reapply a clear coat? Any hints/tips on what cleaning agents / mediums to use would be much appreciated. They aren't too bad, and the clear coat is pretty much intact at the moment - they just need a really good clean-up.

[CLG]

My process for any old wheel is determined by their make - steel or alloy.

Steel Wheels:

1: Check for "true" - chuck them on a wheel balancer and look for buckles and bends, if they show signs of having them - fix them (wheel shops will re roll and straighten, they'll also repair any nicks or scracthes if present).
2: Sand or Bead blast, followed by etch primer.
3: Paint - I hate powdercoat and would never recommned it (yes I've tried both) - powder coat chips and I've always had problems with the wheel nuts walking off the thread over time, paint is the way to go and more easily repairable

Alloys:
1: Check for "true" again - alloys are notorious for being out of round, do yourself and your wheel balance a favour and fix it before you invest money in repairing your wheels.
2: Repair any areas that need repairing
3: Bead blast - no sand blasting - it's too extreme on the surface, to remove all the built on crud and old coatings.
4: Polish or paint
5: Be happy with your new wheels!

[fester]

nufsixes, my approach is very similar to Clints however if you do not have access to cheap abrasive blasting I often use paint stripper to get rid of all the old paint and it also often cleans up the alloy.

If they look a bit average but teh clear coat is intact then I suspect it has gone off with age so it is unlikely a clean will do much unless theya re just simply grotty.

Best bet is to paint strip the old clear coat and any paint off and then reapply. If as you say the clear is not damaged andt he rims are not oxidating under the clear then don't go sanding as you will most likely sand the alloy which will need more work to shine up. Just strip the old coats off and use an alloy cleaner. If they are then shiney enough for you, recoat. If not give them a light polish with whatever means at your disposal. ?Hardest option being elbow grease best option being bench grinder with polishing buffs. You should onyl have to sand if paint is very stubborn after a couple fo applications of paint stripper or you want to swand out some minor scuffing. Trouble with sanding the polished surfaces is you need to progress up to finer grades as you would with painting panels so don't do it unless you really have to.

for such a valueless (no offence meant) wheel I doubt the extra work is really worth it.